


Here's To Us

by dametokillfor



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Ash and Tilly are Best Friends, F/F, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 23:23:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12714921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dametokillfor/pseuds/dametokillfor
Summary: Tilly is like the little sister he’s never had, and Ash wants to keep her safe. She’s said the same about him, has announced she’s adopting him as her big brother.---xIn which Ash Tyler and Sylvia Tilly become the best of friends, and help each other with the wonderfully stubborn people they've both fallen in love with.





	Here's To Us

**Author's Note:**

> There's probably an alternate universe out there where there's an Ash and Michael BFF version of this fic, but I started this before _Lethe_ aired so, woops.

Tilly drops into the chair across from Ash one morning, hair bouncing around her shoulders, where it’s still just tied in a ponytail. She grins at him as he takes a bite of his omelette, before starting to talk. Ash figures he’ll probably have enough time to finish at least half of it before he has to answer her.

Until she asks her question.

“What’s it like kissing the Captain?”

He doesn’t choke on his omelette, but it’s a close thing. He takes a drink of the fluorescent green juice, and tries an answer, “Excuse me?”

“I mean, I can’t imagine him kissing _anyone,_ not that I’ve ever really tried to imagine him kissing anyone. Especially not me. Like, he’s very handsome, when he’s not being grumpy, but I don’t want to kiss him, I’m just kind of curious...” Tilly starts on one of her adorable rambles, and Ash has to put his hand up.

“Why would you ask me?” Ash asks, even though the answer is incredibly obvious and he actually quite enjoys kissing the Captain. Their relationship is technically against the rules, so they’re trying to keep things on the downlow. It isn’t working, Ash is pretty sure everyone knows, but still. They deserve points for trying.

Tilly shoots him a look, and Ash is so impressed that he wasn’t greeted with another ramble, that he answers.

“I… it’s nice?”

It’s not quite what he planned to say, but he’s been taken off guard. Tilly is looking at him, an earnest look on her face, and he figures that means he needs to elaborate.

Or _deflect_.

Ash smiles wickedly, “What’s it like kissing Burnham?”

A blush spreads across Tilly’s cheeks, red as her hair and Ash almost feels guilty. Only almost though, as her grin grows wider.

“You ever tried to kiss someone, and you can’t because you’re smiling too much?” She asks, voice low, almost conspiratorial.

Ash has. When he first tried to kiss Lorca, he was laughing, high on how happy he was to be so close to this beautiful, brilliant man. Lorca had been grinning too, but that was their little secret.

He nods, “Maybe once.”

Or for the whole first week that he and Lorca spent together, stealing secret kisses wherever they had a moment of privacy, from the turbolift on the way to the bridge, to whatever hidden nook of the corridors they happened to be passing at the same time.

“Everytime. I just grin like a fool every single time.” Tilly admits, “I just like her so much, y’know? I can’t believe someone like her chose me, and I just,” She grins widely, brightly and Ash can see why someone would fall completely in love with her, “have to smile!”

Ash can feel his own smile growing just looking at her, and okay, maybe he can manage better than _nice_.

“It’s pretty cool.” He says, inwardly cringing a little at how awkward he’s being, “I mean, good. He’s good at it.”

It still doesn’t do any of it justice, and he sounds like a boy lying to his friends about his girlfriend in Canada, but he doesn’t know how to quite explain it. He’s usually good at things like this but Lorca is something else. He doesn’t think he’s felt like this before, and expressing that? Not a chance.

Tilly, though, seems satisfied with his bumbling and nods her head. She pats his the hand he’s still holding his fork in, and gets to her feet.

“You’re adorable, Ash Tyler.”

And just like that, she’s gone again. 

\---

It happens again.

It's lunchtime, and Ash is really looking forward to his grilled chicken salad. He spots Tilly coming into the mess hall, and figures he has about 87 seconds to eat as much as he can before she bounds across and chirrups at him. He likes Tilly, but he also really likes food.  

He shovels down as much as possible, aiming for the chicken more than the greens. He needs the protein.

There's one strip of chicken left when Tilly takes the seat opposite him, beaming brightly. She peers at his food, “You know they make chicken strips without salad, right?”

“They look lonely without their little bed.” Ash replies.

Tilly hmms, as if Ash’s ridiculous comment made any sort of sense. He manages to spear his last piece of chicken as Tilly starts talking.

“Do you guys cuddle?” She asks, apropos of nothing. (Though Ash supposes mentioning the little bed could have set her off on the train of thought.)  

Ash doesn’t speak with his mouth full, his mother raised a gentleman, so he makes sure to finish his chicken before answering. If he takes a little longer than usual to eat it, it’s because he’s trying to figure out how to explain Lorca is the best little spoon without damaging the older man’s fearsome reputation. He made him smile on the bridge once, and Lorca wouldn’t speak to him all day.

“Um.” Ash starts, eloquently, “I wouldn’t call it cuddling.”

He would. It’s cuddling. Lorca sleeps best with his head on Ash’s chest, over his heart and his arm slung across his stomach. Ash feels safer with Lorca close. There’s still a phaser in the room, but it’s on the side table now, and it’s set to stun. Both Lorca and Ash have woken up, and grabbed it before. They’ve both aimed it at one another, and both talked each other down before, but it’s still progress.

Tilly gives him a look, and he can tell she doesn’t believe a word of it.

“We cuddle.” Ash is defeated, but not above turning it back on Tilly, “You and Michael don’t?”

“Oh, we do.” Tilly confirms, “But, um, okay, so I’m not… super cuddly? Like, I like a hug, and I like holding her after we’ve…”

She flaps her hands around in an endearing fashion. Tilly isn’t shy about sex, Ash was surprised to find that out. She makes some of the dirtiest jokes Ash thinks he’s ever heard, and he was a soldier, but she’s also a lady and doesn’t like to kiss and tell.

“But I like my space, right? I can’t sleep cuddled with someone, it’s so _constricting_. I need to starfish, and let my hair down and it’s so hot but Michael likes to cuddle and I don’t know how to tell her…” Tilly explains, “And you’re no help, you and Captain Cuddles.”

“Have you tried just telling her?” Ash asks, after a moment’s thought, “Michael’s a big girl, Tilly. I’m sure she’d understand.”

“And when she doesn’t? And wants to break up with me and run away with the cute girl down in engineering who keeps giving her the eye, and probably cuddles like a bedtime octopus?” Tilly replies.

He’s struck for a second by the mental image of an octopus in pyjamas, with eight teddy bears and a nightcap, but it’s not the time.

Ash reaches across the table and takes hold of her hand, “Then I will never forgive her, and will fix her with hard stares for the rest of the time we’re on the ship.”

Tilly smiles at him, “Thank you, Ash.”

Ash grins back at her, squeezes her hand before letting it go again. Tilly reaches across and steals a small piece of broccoli from Ash’s plate, before getting up again. She pops it into her mouth and pulls a face, “Oh Ash, honey, no.”

She swallows it down with a grimace and a _bleh_ before turning on her heel, and leaving the mess hall.

(Ash calls Lorca Captain Cuddles that night as they’re tangled together. He ends up laid laughing on the floor seconds later. Completely worth it.)

\---

And so it goes on.

Ash and Tilly somehow become each other’s confidante on the ship. For the longest time, Tilly is usually the one with the problem. There’s sweet, awkwardness, such as being worried she’s not sexy enough, which she definitely is. There’s panicking because what if Michael's Vulcan Dad doesn't approve. Sarek is overwhelmed by Tilly’s _Tillyness_ , but he does tell Michael she's ‘acceptable’.

Eventually, Ash feels comfortable enough to confess his own concerns about his relationship with Lorca. He worries about Lorca’s peers looking down on them, solved with a bad impression of Lorca saying “We’re at WAR, Lt. Tyler!”. He confesses that sometimes thinks he’s too young for Lorca. Tilly rolled her eyes at that, and tells him he’s not too young for Lorca, but he’s _way_ too hot for him.

Tilly is like the little sister he’s never had, and Ash wants to keep her safe. She’s said the same about him, has announced she’s adopting him as her big brother. He spends time with her and Michael as well, and he never feels like a third wheel. He likes Michael, she’s got a pure heart under her prickly outside and he can see why Tilly adores her so much.

Things are pretty good.

\---

Of course, things aren't _perfect_.

As life on a Starship does, sometimes things get _odd_. Sometimes there’s an explanation for it, and other times things just happen and everyone is stuck dealing with it.

Like when Lorca and Tilly swap bodies due to some atmospheric interference, just after Ash has told Lorca he loves him for the first time.

“This is weird.” Ash says, looking into the bright blue eyes of Lorca, as they sit together in Lorca’s quarters. The light is set for his eyes, and Lorca is more interested in his cadet being comfortable, than his own home comforts so had graciously given it up to her til things got fixed.

“Can you stop looking at me like that?” Tilly crosses her arms over her chest and pulls in on herself.

Ash’s eyes stray to her folded arms, because he's weak and Lorca’s arms are magnificent.

“Ash!”

Ash snaps his head up and looks back at her face. Lorca's face. He likes that face. He _loves_ that face, even if it did panic and go blank when Ash told it that.

“I’m sorry Tilly, I’m gross.”

He does feel bad looking at Tilly when she’s so clearly uncomfortable, but he’s also kind of an asshole and if she’d just wear a Captain’s uniform rather than the form fitting shirts, things would be so much easier. But she’s already spent a morning as the Captain, incognito and while scarily efficient, Cornwell pegged her straight away and took both her and Lorca off duty.

So now she’s wearing the snug black shirts that they all wear to work out, Disco emblazoned across the chest and Ash is _really awful_.

He gets a cherry tomato to the head, which he definitely deserves.

“How are you doing with all this?” Ash asks, picking up the cherry tomato from the couch and eating it, “I mean, with this body. It can’t be easy, especially not with me gawping.”

“You gawping is the least of it.” Tilly replies. She sighs heavily, and it’s _adorable_ coming from Lorca’ body.

“Everyone is so scared of me! They’re looking at me like I’m going to yell at them, or put them in the brig!” She explains, “You, the Captain, the Admiral and Michael are the only people who don’t panic when they see me. Even though everyone knows this isn’t _me_!”

Watching Lorca’s body flap, and slump back into the couch with a defeated look would be funnier if Tilly wasn’t so bummed out.

“And I miss my hair.” She runs a hand through Lorca’s short cut, “How do you have any fun with this?”

“We do okay.” Ash can feel a slight blush creeping up his cheeks. Lorca isn’t a fan of having his own hair pulled, but grabbing Ash’s non-regulation length hair is one of his favourite things to do. If Ash is honest, it’s one of his as well.

“Well, I meant stress braiding, but good to see where you guys are at.”

“Stress braiding?”

And that’s how he ends up sat in front of Tilly, as she stress braids his hair. She tells him she’s worried things will never go back to normal and Michael will leave. Ash tells her it’ll be an adjustment, but Michael fell for her good heart, she won’t go anywhere. Ash tells her how worried he is that he’s ruined things, telling Lorca that he loves him when the older man is squirrelly as it is.

“You’re an idiot, Ash Tyler.” She says, tugging on the end of his hair. She ruffles his hair free from the plait, and sets about rebraiding it again.

“Now you’re sounding like him.” Ash teases, which earns him a gentle kick to the back.

“He loves you. Anybody can see that, just by looking at him.” Tilly tells him, “He’s totally gooey for you Ash, he probably just sucks at saying it. Why do you think he’s so prickly and so alone all the time? He doesn’t do open. Last person he probably said I love you to was the Admiral, and that went floop.”

Ash finds himself thinking back to when they first met, how within hours Lorca had trusted him with what really happened to the _Buran_ , and how surprised he was to find that Lorca was considered cold and closed off to everyone else. He and Lorca have always had _something_ and Ash isn’t naive enough to believe it was Love At First Sight, but it was something. The idea that Lorca is closing himself off now is unbearable, especially over something that should be so _good_.

“When I told Michael I loved her, she yelled it back at me in panic.” Tilly tells him, with a chuckle, “Our emotionally awkward partners are just, um, emotionally awkward. Give him a little time, and he’ll shower you with roses and chocolates and tell you how super hot and wonderful you are and how much he loves you!”

“Thanks Tilly.” Ash reaches back, and squeezes her leg. Lorca’s firm, muscled calf that he lets his hand rest on a little too long.

Tilly tugs on his hair again, with a sharp “ _ASH!_ ”

(It’s a few days after they fix the bodyswap situation, when Lorca finally says _I love you_ to Ash. It’s less showering with chocolate and roses, and more a whisper against the back of his neck as Ash falls asleep in his arms, and an apology for not telling him everyday since he met him.)

\---

Occasionally Ash does return to his own quarters. It’s usually to grab some spare clothes, to keep up the illusion that he and Lorca haven't moved in together. (Officially they aren’t, but unofficially, Ash has a drawer and a holo of his mom on the nightstand).

It’s usually during these times that Tilly and Michael have their _big blowouts_. Ash will be getting ready to take his overnight bag - his over two weeks bag - back to Lorca’s large quarters, and his door will chime, and a red faced tearful Tilly will be stood there, attempting to smile.

After the first two times it happens, Ash knows to move aside and let her in. As soon as the door closes, she’ll grab him in a crushing hug and cry on his shoulder. He holds her and lets her get it all out, before they retire to sit on Ash’s bed and she tells him what’s wrong. Ash always has an arm slung around her shoulder, and she’s pulled close to him.

“I’ve really fucked up, Ash.” Tilly tells him after the obligatory hour of sobbing, “I don’t know how to fix this.”

Ash rubs her back, “What happened?”

Tilly and Michael had been fooling around, and Michael had called her Captain. Tilly had been so happy, and asked her to say it again, and again, and - Ash stops her, and gently hurries her along to the point. They could be here all day.

“So after we’re done and we’re just snuggled up and it’s _nice_ , then I open my dumb mouth,” Tilly’s voice is getting frantic, and Ash squeezes her shoulder reassuringly, “And say I’m glad I’m not a Captain, I’m not scary enough to keep a mutineer on board.”

_Oh._

“I don’t even know why I said it!” Tilly insists, “I was all… blissed out and I wasn’t thinking and she went all quiet and _Vulcan_ , and I’m trying to joke with her and tell her I didn’t mean it, that I’d learn to be scary for her and… I don’t know, it all went so wrong and she won’t talk to me and I don’t know what to do, Ash!”

Tilly is breathing hard, and she’s all but vibrating against him. She drops her head between her knees, as if she knows she’s having a panic attack. Ash just keeps rubbing slow circles on her back, and whispering soothing words to her while she gets her breathing and her panic under control.

He wishes he had Gabriel Jr, Lorca’s tribble, in the room. Tilly loves the little guy, and with the soothing properties they have, she’d be calmer in half the time. Not that Ash minds comforting her, but Tilly has a lot of emotions and he could use the help.

It takes about twenty minutes, but she manages to bring herself back to a level of calm. Her eyes are as red as her hair, and she looks completely broken. Ash wants to hug her till the sparkle returns to her eyes, and punch Michael for upsetting her like this. Unfortunately, Michael is also one of his best friends on the ship so he’d have to punch Tilly as well. He’d really rather not punch either of them, he doesn’t hit women.

“What if she never forgives me?” Tilly asks, finally managing to find her voice again, “What if I’ve fucked up the best thing in my life, because I couldn’t keep my big mouth shut?”

“I’m sure Mudd has another time loop bracelet somewhere.” Ash teases.

Tilly forces a small smile, and Ash figures maybe she needs an actual answer.

“Michael knows you, Tilly.” He says, “She’ll know you weren’t being malicious. You’re not capable of such a thing, unless it’s to my broccoli.”

“It’s _evil_ , Ash.”

“Give her a little time,” Ash says, ignoring Tilly’s hatred of his favourite vegetable, “Let her be hurt, let her work through it, she’ll forgive you. It might be a little difficult for a while, but she’s not going to give up someone as great as you over a little motormouth mistake.”

“And if she does?”

“I’ve got connections with a Captain,” Ash teases, “Pick a planet. We’ll maroon her.”

Tilly manages a small smile, and rests her head on Ash’s shoulder, “You’re the best, Ash Tyler.”

Ash presses a kiss into her red curls, “I know.”

(Tilly stays in Ash’s room the next few nights. Ash stays with her the first night, til she throws him out and tells him Lorca must be lonely without him. Lorca delivers Gabriel Jr to her, and awkwardly reiterates Ash’s sentiment about marooning Michael, even though everyone knows he wouldn’t dare. It takes Tilly and Michael a couple of days to start talking properly again, and by the end of the week, they’re sharing their room again. A few days after that, they’re both suspiciously late to their posts, trying to hide smiles, and both wearing the wrong jacket.)

\---

Ash finds the hardest part of being with a Captain, when you’re _technically_ still an insubordinate and therefore _technically_ not supposed to be, is all the couply stuff they miss out on. All the things that Ash misses out on, having to keep his relationship hush hush.

(Of course, both of them are aware most people already know about them - even Cornwell has thanked Ash for being a grounding influence for Lorca - but technically things have to stay under wraps.)

Michael, Tilly, Paul and Hugh can sit together in the mess hall, discussing date night, or telling each other stories about stupid things the other did. If Ash does that, he has to make sure nobody is listening, or change Lorca’s name so that nosy crewmen don’t overhear and share sensitive information about the Captain.

Ash envies how they can just cross each other in hallways, letting fingertips brush and sharing secret smiles. Lorca grabs his arm, a supportive squeeze here and there, but it doesn’t feel intimate, doesn’t feel like anything but a Captain looking after his CSO.

He’s not asking to fuck Lorca over the Captain’s chair - though they have discussed the idea in hushed whispers in bed late at night. He doesn’t even want to parade him through the ship, or drag him into the officers mess. He just wants to be able to be more open about what they have. Ash knows Lorca loves him, knows they’re not just some casual hookup. He knows their relationship is just as real as what Michael and Tilly have, or Paul and Hugh, but sometimes he still feels like a dirty little secret.

Usually during a party, when he’s on his way to drunk and stood in the corner watching everyone dancing with their significant other.

Except for Tilly, who is right at his side watching Michael laughing with Detmer about something.

“Isn’t she amazing?” Tilly says, her words a little slurred, “And she chose me! She could do so much better!”

“Nah.” Ash replies, slinging an arm around her shoulder, “Nobody’s better than you, Tilly.”

“Not even Cap- Captain Hotpants?” Tilly asks, looking up at him.

“Not even him.” Ash kisses her bouncing curls, and pulls her into his side.

She leans against him for a long moment, eyes closed and _hmm_ -ing contentedly. The song soon changes to something slow and romantic. Ash pulls his arm from Tilly’s shoulder, assuming she’s going to go and demand Michael dance with her.

Instead, she grabs his hands, “Dance with me, Ash.”

“Tilly…”

Tilly squares her shoulders, and fixes him with a _look_ , “That’s an order, Lieutenant Tyler.”

Her voice is dipped low, and Ash thinks he knows what she’s trying to do. This is her Lorca impression, usually broken out when she’s trying to explain something he’s done when visiting her and the science minions.

Ash just smiles at her, and he has to give in, “Aye, Captain.”

She pulls him onto the dance floor, and rests her hands on Ash’s shoulders. He holds her hips, and they sway back and forth. It’s not a particularly graceful dance, but they’re both tipsy and silly.

“I bet he’s not even a good dancer.” Ash muses out loud.

“Beg pardon, son, I’m an excellent dancer.” Tilly replies, still in her Lorca impression. Ash thinks she’s attempting to mimic his slight Southern twang, but it sounds more like a yawn, “I was all state ballroom champion!”

“My apologies, sir.” Ash says, with a smile, “I should have asked.”

“Damn right.” Tilly teases, “Y’all can ask me more than ‘will you blow me?’”

“ _Tilly!_ ” Ash hisses, and they both burst into a fit of alcohol induced giggles. Tilly slaps his shoulder, and shakes her head.

“Stop laughing, this is serious business, Tyler. I’m trying to be romantic here.”

“You’re definitely succeeding, sir.” Ash tells her, “I’m charmed.”

He takes her hand and twirls her under his arm, which elicits an excited high squeak from her. He twirls her back again and she rests her hand on his side, which he holds the other. They start turning in slow circles and it’s nice.

“I wish you guys could have this, everyone looking at you, wishing they were him.” Tilly smiles.

“Not me?” Ash teases.

“I mean, maybe one or two. Sanders and Marquez for sure, but they’ve got no taste.” Tilly seems to realise what she’s said and her eyes widen, “I mean, you’re only dating the Captain because you can’t clone yourself after all!”

It’s not really much better. Ash squeezes her hip, “I love you, Tilly.”

“Tilly? Is this gonna be a problem, Tyler?” Tilly drops back into her ridiculous Lorca voice.

“I’m afraid so, sir.” Ash teases, dipping Tilly low, “We’re madly in love. You and Michael are just going to have to live without us.”

Tilly is giggling as Ash pulls her back to her feet.

“Y’know, we don’t clean up til the morning, and everyone will leave in a few hours. You guys could come down while it’s empty, have your own private party, pretend you’re together in front of us all.”

“Thanks Tilly, but I think we’re okay.” Ash tells her.

She smiles up at him, and goes back into Lorca voice, “I'd rather have you all alone anyway, Tyler.”

The pair of them break into giggles, because they're tipsy, and best friends and does Ash really need anything more than this?

Ash notices Michael is watching them with a sweet smile, fond and warm. He reaches an arm out to pull Michael into their big hug, and puts on his best begging face to convince her to join them. She's not convinced til Tilly spots her as well and grabs her arm to pull her in.

Together they spend the rest of the night, dancing round and round as a threesome.

(Lorca turns up at the party just after the last excitable ensign leaves, one who spent plenty of time telling Ash how cool they thought he was. The room is empty, save for messily strewn cups, some tacky decorations, and Ash. Ash opens his mouth to tell Lorca he was about to come to bed, but Lorca shakes his head. He strides over to Ash and slides his arms around him, kisses him firmly, where anybody could see. They stay pressed together for what feels like hours, slow dancing to music nobody can hear. Lorca whispers in his ear, tells him he wishes he could show the whole goddamn universe just how much he loves Ash. Even half gone from proper Scotch, Ash doesn’t miss the way Lorca’s fingers slip across his own left ring finger as he says that.)

\---

Things aren’t always easy. The war is long and hard, months, bleeding into years. They lose teammates, they lose friends, both to violence and just through being unable to handle the situation anymore.

There are long periods where Ash and Tilly barely even get a chance to pass in the halls, always off on one mission or another. Ash barely seems to spend longer than a few days on the decks of the ship, always sent for some recon or another. He points out delicately Lorca has other security officers, and is less delicately reminded Lorca doesn’t trust them half as much as he does him.

For a period, Tilly is sent to another ship to help progress her training. She returns after six months, a junior Lieutenant and there’s a party to celebrate. (She misses most of it, spending her time getting reacquainted with Michael, who had been insistent she _wasn’t_ brooding).

Life, the war takes it’s toll on their relationships as well.

Lorca and Ash fight. Lorca tries to break up with him at least four times, having seen horrible alternate versions of themselves, and heard of futures where they tear each other apart. Ash never lets it stick, announcing he’s too old to get another sugar daddy now, which always breaks their ridiculous tension. Lorca doesn’t understand why Ash is insistent on staying with him, Ash doesn’t understand how Lorca doesn’t know after so long.

Michael and Tilly do break up. Michael sees Tilly get hurt in an explosion, and she’s scared of how much she feels. She’s scared of how much she has to lose with her, and after losing Georgiou, she can’t do it again. They spend months apart, even Ash starts to doubt they’ll fix things for a while.

Tilly starts seeing an engineer, who Ash recognises as the bedtime octopus she was worried Michael would leave her for. When Tilly and Ash talk, in the short spells they manage to find together, she sounds like she’s trying to convince herself to move on, but her heart still belongs to Michael.

They do get back together again, in the most cliche way possible while stuck on a cold planet together, and it’s like the months apart never happened 

\---

“I’m gonna ask Michael to marry me.” Tilly announces as she appears at the door to Ash and Lorca’s quarters one morning.

Lorca is asleep, having told the chime to _fuck off I’m off duty_ and pulled the sheet over his head. Ash had climbed out of bed, thrown on Lorca’s robe and reluctantly answered the door. It’s early, too early and they’re just enjoying the quiet while docked at a starbase for repairs. Ash and Lorca elected to stay on the ship for the first night, as neither of them could quite muster to desire to walk to their assigned accommodation when they had a perfectly good bed already.

Ash heard what Tilly had said, but somehow his brain isn’t quite firing on all cylinders right now, “Wha-?”

Tilly digs into the pocket of the green skirt she’s wearing, and pulls out a small box. She passes it to Ash, “I’m going to ask Michael to marry me.”

Ash opens the box and inside is an old looking gold ring, with a large square diamond in the centre and a twisting gold design framing it. It’s beautiful, and it’ll look stunning on Michael’s finger.

“Tilly, this is gorgeous.”

“It’s been in my family for years, it was my great Grandma’s. My brother wanted it for his girlfriend, but I’m the oldest, and my Mom likes Michael more so she gave it to me, and oh God, Ash, I’m gonna ask her to marry me!” Tilly is bouncing on the balls of her feet, and she looks like she’s about to start flying under her own steam.

“Yeah, you are!” Ash pulls Tilly into a hug, “Congratulations, Tilly!”

Tilly clings to him, and is still bouncing in his arms, “She still has to say yes first, oh no.”

She pulls back from the hug, just enough to look up at Ash, “What if she says no? Oh no, do I need to ask Sarek first? How do I even do that? What if - ?”

Tilly is interrupted by a loud groan from the lump in the bed, and Ash figures if he ever wants to be in the same position as Tilly, he should probably take this somewhere else.

“Michael would be a fool to say no.” Ash tells her, quickly, “Let me get dressed, and we’ll go panic about this somewhere else, okay?”

Tilly nods, “I’ll be right here.”

She bounces up onto tiptoes and stage whispers over Ash’s shoulder, “Sorry Captain!”

Lorca doesn’t respond, but Ash can see the lump aggressively roll over in the bed, and pull a pillow down. Ash really shouldn’t be charmed, but he’s still sickeningly in love with this grumpy mess. It warms his heart to see him mad about something so mediocre as not being able to sleep in on a morning, rather than a matter of life and death.

“Two minutes.” Ash promises.  

It’s closer to three, when Ash emerges in his sweats and one of Lorca’s shirts. It’s a little too baggy on him, but he’s counting on Tilly to be so focussed on her proposal plans that she won’t notice. He’s not however counting on Tilly to have disappeared by the time he gets out of his quarters.

He walks around for a while, trying to see if he can find her, but she’s gone. He returns to his quarters, and slips under the covers next to Lorca, making sure to put his now cold feet on him. He’s rewarded with a hiss and the promise of being left behind when they leave again.

Ash receives a call later that day, while Lorca is trying to get back to sleep again. Michael and Tilly are squeezed onto the screen together, and half the screen is their grinning faces. Ash manages to act vaguely surprised when Michael holds her hand up to show off the ring. Tilly squeals excitedly about how Michael yelled yes back at her - in the same way she yelled I love you back when Tilly first told her. They insist he and Lorca join them for celebratory drinks that night, and to Ash’s surprise Lorca is the one who agrees.

(Lorca toasts to the happy couple later, at a bar with the whole crew present. Aside from buying drinks, and bathroom visits, he barely leaves Ash’s side all night. His hand sits happily at Ash’s hip, his nose pressing into Ash’s dark hair and not for a single second does he try and hide what they are to each other. When Ash asks him later, Lorca says he’d never try and steal Tilly’s thunder by proposing at party in her and Michael’s honour, but he’s not above a little payback for waking him up. He also makes Ash promise that when he does propose - and Ash’s heart jumps a little at the when, not _if_ \- Ash will wake Tilly up while she’s trying to sleep in too.)

\---

It's a little over seven months later, when Tilly discovers Ash _always_ keeps his promises.

**Author's Note:**

> Come squee with me on [Tumblr](http://leonardsnarts.co.vu).


End file.
